Are Google, Facebook and Alibaba More Dangerous Than the NSA?

Google and Facebook have far more information about American citizens than the National Security Agency, says Geoffrey Stone, a University of Chicago professor who recently served on the President's Review Group on Intelligence and Communications. 'The scale of intrusion on the part of Google and Facebook and the like is wildly greater than anything the NSA does,' Stone says. On the other hand, Stone argues private companies have 'commercial incentives not to misuse that information in a way that will undermine their credibility and the trust that people have in them.' Government surveillance, on the other hand, is more vulnerable to abuse, Stone contends. But if the government wants Google and Facebook to turn over information about you, it opens up complex legal questions, says Stone.